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Fairfield University's School of Engineering launches Master of Science Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering

The School of Engineering at Fairfield University will begin offering this fall a new Master of Science Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

The ECE program is available to students with a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field. Students can opt for a 34 credit hour program including a thesis requirement or a 37 credit hour program with no thesis. The ECE program is the third master's program offered by the School of Engineering, including master's degrees in Management of Technology and Software Engineering.

A graduate degree is a great way to improve your career choices and help students move into leadership roles in technology, said Jerry Sergent, Ph.D., co-director of the ECE program.

E. Hadjimichael, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Engineering, said, "We are launching this new Master's program in order to serve better our constituencies, our students and their employers, in critical areas of modern technology; we have the resources to do a good job, and we will do so."

The ECE program offers an excellent opportunity for a wide range of potential students, including engineers and scientists who wish to acquire new skills to enable them to guide the development of new technologies, and engineers who aspire to academic careers. A master's degree is one of the best ways to make a career change, and helps to fulfill the need for personal and professional growth, Dr. Sergent said.

The new degree program will prepare graduates for work in a variety of fields, including the computer industry, aerospace, telecommunications, semiconductors, power, manufacturing, defense and the electronic industries. Graduates will be able to design high-tech devices ranging from tiny microelectronic integrated-circuit chips, to powerful systems that utilize those chips, to efficient telecommunications systems that interconnect those systems.

Students are given the skills and tools they need to take the lead in creating the next generation of information technologies, using fundamental design disciplines. Sequences of electives, as well as a Master's thesis, provide depth to the learning experiences. State of the art facilities in the School of Engineering, and close interactions with industry that are carefully nurtured, assist in those tasks.

"The ECE faculty at Fairfield University has a unique combination of academic skills and work experience," Dr. Sergent said.

"They have not only achieved international recognition for their research and publications but have also put the theory to practice in the industrial sector. As a result, they are able to call on their own experiences to bring added understanding in the classroom."

In discussing the appeal of the new program to practicing engineers, Douglas Lyon, Ph.D., co-director of the program, said, "In the world of high tech, nothing endures but change, and nothing goes dull so quickly as a skill set."

Registration for fall courses in the new program will continue throughout August. For more information about the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, please call (203) 254-4184 or e-mail: gradadmis@mail.fairfield.edu.